Apple admits child labour and low wages at factories

Apple has admitted its factories in Asia used child labour and forced their employees to work long hours – many for less than China's minimum wage.

Last year, three factories were found to have 15-year-olds on their pay-rolls in regions where 16 is the minimum age for employees.

Apple would not name the factories involved, but the finding was included in its annual Supplier Responsibility report, which monitors the company's facilities in countries such as China, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The report also found that in at least 55 of the 102 facilities that manufacture devices such as the iPod and iPhone, staff were working more than the 60 hours a week that Apple recommends. Even if the factories complied with Apple’s guidelines, however, they may still be in breach of Chinese labour laws which allow a maximum working week of 49 hours.

Just 65 per cent of factories followed guidelines on wages, with 24 factories paying less than the Chinese minimum wage of 800 RMB (£77) per month.

Apple says it has dealt with the issue of child labour: "In each of the three facilities, we required a review of all employment records for the year as well as a complete analysis of the hiring process to clarify how underage people had been able to gain employment," its report said. The 11 children in question have either reached the legal working age or have been sacked."

The company has also terminated all contracts with one particularly bad factory, but the widespread failure to follow Apple guidelines suggests the company faces extreme difficulty if it intends to ensure full adherence to its code – especially as it appears to be the only computer manufacturer to even check on its suppliers:

"During most of our audits, suppliers stated that Apple was the only company that had ever audited their facility for supplier responsibility," the report claims.

Nevertheless, the report should be devastating for Apple, whose metropolitan, affluent and liberal customer base would normally be expected to take a stand on this issue.

But a boycott seems unlikely. In 2008, Apple discovered children working at plants used to build the iPhone. Despite this, it remains the most sought-after smartphone on the market. ·